Retired major-general, veteran politician and now one of two deputy ministers in the defence and military veterans portfolio, Bantu Holomisa pulled no punches when addressing the National Assembly (NA) during the recent defence budget debate.
His words will resonate with some South African military watchers in that they, among others, urge for a pragmatic approach rather than the oft-repeated call for another Defence Review.
He told Parliamentarians there is no need for another Review in the wake of the 2012 edition, revamped and re-released in 2015.
“The 2015 Defence Review is still relevant,” he pointed out, adding “effort was never made to implement it” which he laid at the door South Africa’s financial constraints. The former two-star is of the opinion “new plans based on an appreciation of current realities can be drawn from it without wasting precious time”.
On “current realities” he pointed to the “vulnerability” of South African troops deployed on continental peacekeeping missions in “volatile operational theatres” and told Parliamentarians a recovery plan of action would require hard and tough decisions for the short term which can provide breathing space for medium to long term interventions by the GNU (government of national unity).
Expanding on his wish for a pragmatic approach Holomisa listed six must dos.
They start with a review of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) officer training curriculum at entry level to “breed calibre fit [officers] for the sharp end”.
Number two is introducing what he terms are special strategic level programmes for “all senior leadership” along with counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare training for combat formations with number three “enrolling young recruits to rejuvenate” the national defence force.
Numbers four to six deal mainly with military equipment and materiel and entail finalising and implementing public/private partnerships with the South African defence industry (SADI); developing and acquiring “special technology capability” and ensuring routine maintenance of equipment in the wider SANDF inventory.
These are among issues Holomisa says have been signalled to SANDF Commander-in-Chief, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Enoch Godongwana, his Minister of Finance. “Urgent attention needs to be paid to the requirements of the SANDF. This is essential to address the challenges we face and to ensure we are in a state of readiness, especially given the current threat of the climate crisis that South Africa is facing,” his speech reads in part.
Holomisa maintains the uniform wearing men and women in the SANDF “must be transformed into a confident force” by way of rigorous training and wants promotions to be transparent and based on successful completion of “the relevant courses”.
His message for the command element of the SANDF is to work “hand in glove” with the Secretary for Defence (SecDef), where Thobekile Gamede has been acting since December 2022, and not forget the principles of war: training, discipline, control, speed and surprise. The responsibility to keep morale high in the ranks of South African servicemen and women rests with the command cadre of the Department of Defence (DoD) and the SANDF, according to Holomisa.
